Transplanting-machine



R. L. PUCKETT. musmmmc mum.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I. I919.

1,333,339. Patented Mar. 9, 1920.

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sTATnsr trEnrr onnion.

' 301mm. LEE rucxii'rnor FALMOUTH, KnivrUcKY.

To all 'uihom it may concern:

.TRANSPLANTING-MACHINE.

Be it known that I,'RoBnR'r LEE PUc E'r'r,

a citizen of the United States, residing at. Falmouth, in the county of Pendleton, State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Transplanting-Mm chines, of which the following is a complete f specification.

The present invention relates to trans-- planting devices, and aims to provide an improved construction of transplanting ma- [chine which dispenses'with any device for opening a furrow, and employs means for opening the ground at only those points apparatus ofthe plants. r p

'A further object is to provide a machine having a plant conduit member and ground 6 opening means arranged for operation in the which the novel features therein will be set forth in the appended claims.

manner stated,'together with a watering device also operated automatically by the lowering of i the conduit member to feed a suitable quantity of wate to the set plant in such a way as not to vaffect the parts of the ground opening devicef It is further sought to devise an extremely simple apparatus of thecharacter described,

-' having few and uncomplicated parts unlikely to get out of order and adapted'to be "conveniently and economically operated as well as inexpensive to' manufacture.

. With these objects in view the invention will now be described with reference to the 1 accompanying drawing illustrating one form of construction which has been devised for embodying the improvements, after In the drawing- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation showing a transplanting machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, with a 3pm of the framework broken away.

"illustrates the improved machine as com- Referring' to the drawing in detail, this Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar.9, 1920.

Application filed April 1, 1919. Serial No. 286,756.

prising a supporting frame 4 mounted on the axle 6 of wheels 8, the middle portion 10 of which axle is bowed for accommodating and supporting a water tank 12. At the rear of the tank 12 the same is provided with a bracket 14-for fulcruming a lever 16 having an operating handle 18 at its rear end. Intermediate its ends said lever 16 is-formed with a yoke portion 20 within which is pivotally mounted by means of pins 22 or the like a plant conduit member 24 comprising a tube of suitable size for receiving the plants at its open upper end and conducting the same to the lower endthereof'where said conduit membe is provided with ground opening means'as hereinafter described. The member 24'with its ground opening means is supported normally in raised position above and out of the ground by means of a coil spring 23 secured to the lever 18 and suspending the same from a transverse bar 25 forming a part of the supporting frame 4. i

The ground opening means comprises a fixed ground penetrating element 26 forming a part of the lower end of the conduit member 24, and also a movable ground penetrating element 28 hinged as indicated at 30 to the upper end of the fixed element 26, a spring 32 being arranged to hold said movable element normally in closed relation to said fixed element for the purpose of closing the lowerend of the conduit member and at the same time causing said elements 26 and 28 to assume the form of a single penetrating point for entering the ground whenever the conduit member is to be lowered in the transplanting operation.

' The movable ground penetrating element 28 is formed with a-forwardly projecting finger 34, which extends in position overlying a fixed arm 36 carried by the frame of 'the machine and projecting rearwardly underneath said finger at approximately the level of the ground surface. This arrange ment is such thatas the conduit member 24, with its elements 26 and 28, is lowered the said finger 34 is caused to be engaged by the arm 36, whereby further lowering of' the conduit member will result in swinging of said element; 28 to open-position inorder to open the ground where the plant is to be set and at the same time release a plant at the point'of opening. I y The bottom of the tank 12 is provided with a flexible water connection 38 extending rearwardly and provided with a dis- 46 fulcrumed in a bracket 48 at the top of the tank 12. This lever 46 extends rearrwardly and is hingedly connectedati50 to the upper end of the conduit member 24, be-

;ing provided with. a forked rear endfor accommodating the supporting spring 23.

In the operation ofthe machine arranged and constructed as above described, the same .is merely pushed along the row where-the I .plants (such as tobacco plantsor the like) are tobe transplanted, and the conduit-mem- .ber Q liSlmPlYlOWBIBd as often as a plant is tobe-set in the ground, theseplants being d-ropped into the upper end'of the conduit member as fast as required. The lowering 'ofthe-said conduit member, by the operation ..of the lever 16, first causes the ground opening e1ements26 and 28 to penetrate the a ground while said elements are still in :closed relation, whereupon the finger 34 strikes-the arm 36 and swings the hinged element 28 open, thus openingthe ground at this point, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

' .T-his of-course releases one of the plants 52 which has been dropped into the conduit member ready to be discharged therefrom by the operation just described. The lowering of the conduit member likewise operates simultaneously to open the valve 42 through the medium ofthe lever 46, whereby a suitable quantity of water is allowed to flow to a point just to the rear of the ground opening elements, which serves to moisten the ground about the newly set plant and in such a way as not toafi'ect the groundopening means, the latter thus continually operating in dry soiland not becoming clogged with mud. As soon as the transplanting action is com- -:pleted, the operator releases pressure on the lever-16 and thespring 23 restores the con- :duit member to its original raised position, thereby also closing the valve 42 and per- :Initting the spring to close the movable element 28, the broken soil of course settling vback around the plant 52. By this improved construction 'al] workof producing afurrow in the ground is eliminatech'the ground'bein-g hrokenonlyat those points where the --plants are,set out, and any unevennesses in u.the:ground "will not interfere .with the ro ressofthe machine sinceb ro er-maonipulationof the lever 16 the conduit-member and connected parts may .be lifted up i'overany ordinarygobstructionsin the path of thermachine. I 5 "It-will thusbe'apparent that I-have provided an eiiicient and comparatively simple arrangement and construction for carrying out the desired objects of the invention, and while I have illustrated and described what I now egard as the preferred form of em- Having described'the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a-transplanting machine, the combination with av supporting frame, ofa verti- .callyv movable plant conduitmember carried by saidframe, said member-being open .at its upper end to permit the insertion of "plants .7 therein, groundopening means carried by the lower end of said conduit member, and .meansoperated-by the lowering of said conduit. member. to actuate said ground opening means to open the ground and release a plant.

2. In a-transplantingmachine, the combi nation with asupporting frame,vof awater tank and a vertically movable plant conduit member carried ,bysaid frame, said member being open at its upper end to-permit the insertion of plants therein,-ground opening .meanscarried by thelower-end-of said conduit member and provided with a valved water connection to said tank, and means-operated by the lowering ofsaid conduit. member to actuate said ground openingmeans to open the ground and release a plant and simultaneously open said water. connection.

3. In a transplanting machine, thecombination with a supportln-gframe, of a vertically movable plant conduit member carried by said frame, said member being openlat its upper end to permit the-insertion of plants therein, ground openingneanscarried by the lower end of said conduit member,sai'd means comprising 'fixed and movable ground penetrating elements in-nor- ,mally closed position, and-means operated by the lowering .o'fssaid conduit -cmemberito actuate said movable element .and thereby spread said ground. opening means to open the ground and releasea plants 4. In a transplanting machineflhe. combination with ai'supporting' frame, of a water tank and a vertically movableplant conduit member-carriedby said frame, said member bemg open at its upper endto permit themmeans carried by the lower end of said conduit member, said means comprising :fixed .sertion of plants therein, ground opening.

and movable ground penetrating elements-in normally closed position, a valved watercounection leading from said tank to the :rear

of said ground opening means, and -means operated by the: lower ng of :said conduit .l'nember to open 'said water. connection :and. simultaneously. actuate said movableground penetrating element and thereby spread said ground openin means to open the ground and release a p ant.

5. In a transplanting machine, the combination with a supporting frame, of a vert1- .cally movable conduit member carried by said frame, said member being open at its ing element and a movable ground penetrao ing element provided with a spring for holding said movable element normally in con duit closing relation to said fixed element, and a fixed arm projecting from said frame in position to engage and open said movable element on lowering of said conduit member.

In witness whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

ROBERT LEE PUCKETT. 

